Ann Coulter, The Sequel
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

If they loved the books, they’ll love the DVD. Yes, the perfect stocking-stuffer for those who hung on every word of Ann Coulter’s acerbic best-sellers is a just-released documentary called “Is it True What They Say About Ann?” In the calm after the election storm, most fiercely partisan political books disappeared from the best-seller list – but Ms Coulter’s “How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)” remains high in the rankings.
The DVD features generous helpings of what one might call the conservative diva’s “greatest hits.” Fans can watch interviews in which she took on Katie Couric and Phil Donahue. Plus, according to the DVD’s promotional material, excerpts from her college lectures show how the fast-moving Ann “deftly handles her hecklers and graciously receives her fans.”
What else do Ann aficionados need to know? Well, you’ll find out about her passion for the Grateful Dead and hear how her mother sends her an Easter basket every year. Ms. Coulter also eviscerates an issue of the New York Times on camera.
The DVD was the brainchild of Elinor Burkett, the author of “So Many Enemies, So Little Time.” Ms Coulter said, “She’s a smart liberal friend of mine who is amazed at the intolerance of liberals and the very anti-woman attacks on conservative women.”
Ms. Burkett teamed up with Patrick Wright, of the Maryland Institute College of Art, who is, according to Coulter, “another liberal.” “They followed me around during the tour for my book “Treason” and spent weeks looking at videos,” she said.
“I haven’t seen the documentary yet, but my friends have and they love it.” The DVD, which includes “exclusive interviews, classic clips, and Ms. Coulter’s insight,” is not available in the stores but only through certain conservative-leaning web sites.
I live in the same West Side apartment building as Al Franken. Maybe I ought to be neighborly, get a copy, and hand it to him at our building’s holiday party. Oh, season of comfort and joy!
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Truman’s ba-a-a-ck, sort of. Twenty years after his death there is a yet another revival of interest in Truman Capote. Two new books, one focused on Capote’s life and one on his work, were recently released. Both are published by Random House, Capote’s longtime publisher.
“Too Brief A Treat ” is a compilation of Capote’s letters and was edited by Gerald Clarke, who wrote a highly praised Capote biography several years ago. The other book, “The Complete Stories of Truman Capote,” has an introduction by Reynolds Price and includes Capote’s holiday stories: “A Thanksgiving Visitor,” “A Christmas Memory,” and “One Christmas.” All three have all been the basis for several TV specials, which are frequently rebroadcast at this time of year.
“One Christmas,” his last published story, was written for Ladies’ Home Journal. I was the editor of the Journal when the story appeared, and vividly remember my amazement when my assistant told me Capote was on the phone and said he had a story we just might like.
Last week a manuscript of Capote’s first unpublished novel, called “Summer Crossings,” was put up for auction at Sotheby’s, along with letters and photographs. The letters and photographs sold; the manuscript didn’t. “I’m not surprised,” said Mr. Clarke, who this week read some of Capote’s letters at a lecture at the 92nd Street Y.
“If you bought the manuscript, you wouldn’t be buying the copyright.”
Two movies about Capote are currently in the planning stages. One that draws on Mr. Clarke’s book is already in production. Both movies are about the bond Capote developed with murderer Perry Smith while writing “In Cold Blood,” a landmark book about a multiple murder in Kansas.
In his letters to his longtime friend Cecil Beaton, Capote wrote about his obsession with this project, which turned out to be his greatest literary success. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Capote and Clifton Collins, Jr. plays Smith in the United Artist movie. In the Warner Independent Pictures production, Capote is played by Toby Jones and Mark Ruffalo has just been hired to play Smith. Also cast in the Warner production are Ashley Judd, Sigourney Weaver, and Alan Cumming.
Remember, too, that actor Robert Blake – soon to go on trail for his wife’s murder – had his greatest success playing Smith in the original movie of Capote’s book. It is an irony the author most likely would have appreciated.
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Writers’ words live on. But what does their handwriting reveal about them? According to graphologist Dorothy Simpson, a handwriting consultant who carried out research for the National Archives in London, Charles Dickens was arrogant, Winston Churchill was stubborn and Karl Marx was “a difficult man.”
Their handwriting is on show at the National Archives in Kew in Southwest London, as part of an exhibit called “Movers and Shakers: Geoffrey Chaucer to Elton John.”
Churchill’s small, hasty script allegedly demonstrates the wartime prime minister’s willfulness and determination not to live by the rules. Dickens displayed his self-importance with his large signature underlined with a flourish, rather like the signature of many Hollywood celebrities. But then the author of “The Christmas Carol” was a star in his day.
Marx had a tendency to run his words together which, according to graphologists, means he did not listen to anyone else’s opinion. “Marx was also interesting because he signed off his naturalization papers as “Carl’ possibly to make his name seem less foreign. He comes across as judgmental person who liked to get his own way,” Ms. Simpson said.
Although the exhibit’s curator, Sue Laurence, defends handwriting analysis as “an interesting insight,” most historians scoff. Andrew Roberts, an expert on Churchill, declared, “These are such well-known characters it’s highly unlikely their handwriting will say anything we don’t already know about them.”
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And more new magazines. No, they will never, never stop. Now there is to be a shopping magazine for new moms. Called “Bundle” (as in “bundle of joy” or “that kid’s going to cost you a bundle'”) it will be published by Harris Publication, a company that puts out a multitude of newsstand publications, some with such provocative titles as “Whitetail Hunting,” “Tactical Knives,” and “Combat Handguns.” Harris also owns a series of craft magazines.
“Bundle” will be out in April with 300,000 copies going to the offices of obstetricians and pediatricians and the other 200,000 on the newsstand. The “Bundle” family comes to Harris from the former Weider Publications, with its publisher, Mary Ellen Case. Ms. Case helped launch “Budget Living” and worked on development in the 1990s at Weider. The editor-in-chief, Carole Lucia, was an editor at Weider’s Fit Pregnancy.
Other kiddiecentric magazines upcoming: Disney is planning an early-learning magazine, for children up to age 6 in 2006; meanwhile, Fairchild is developing a parenting magazine, “Cookie,” which is slated for delivery next fall.
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What’s the world’s favorite English word? The British Council, an organization that teaches the English language around the world, did a recent survey to find out. Yes, British organizations now seem to have the time and money for the quirky, to employ handwriting analysts of long-dead authors, and to ask odd but interesting questions via the internet. More than 35,000 responded to the online poll, and the winner is “mother.” The nouns that rounded out the top five were: passion, smile, love, and eternity.
The British Council was celebrating its 70th anniversary, and other faves that were included in the list of 70 were twinkle (no. 23), umbrella (no. 49), hiccup (no. 63), and the not very politically correct hen party (no. 70).
As the venerable WWD gossip columnist Suzy so often says: Who else tells you these things?